Iša František Krejčí (10 July 1904 – 6 March 1968) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

neoclassicist Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

and

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg (from Ancient Greek δραματουργός – dramatourgós) is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and pr ...

Life

Krejčí was born in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. He studied history and musicology at

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

and concurrently piano playing with Albín Šíma and composition at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

with Karel Boleslav Jirák and

Vítězslav Novák Vítězslav Augustín Rudolf Novák (5 December 1870 – 18 July 1949) was a Czech composer and academic teacher at the Prague Conservatory. Stylistically, he was part of the neo-romantic tradition, and his music is considered an important e ...

and conducting with

Václav Talich Václav Talich (; 28 May 1883, Kroměříž – 16 March 1961, Beroun) was a Czech conductor, violinist and later a musical pedagogue. He is remembered today as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, the object of countless reissue ...

. He worked for the

Slovak National Theatre The Slovak National Theater (, abbr. SND) is the oldest professional theatre in Slovakia, consisting of three ensembles: opera, ballet, and drama. Its history begins shortly after the establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. It ...

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

in 1928–32,

Czech Radio Czech Radio (, ČRo) is the public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic operating continuously since 1923. It is the oldest national radio broadcaster in continental Europe and the second-oldest in Europe after the BBC. Czech Radio was esta ...

in 1934–45,

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

Opera in 1945–58, and

Prague National Theatre The National Theatre () is a historic opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural ...

since 1958. As a conductor, he concentrated especially on the contemporary French repertoire and

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

's compositions. His reputation as a composer was established in 1925 with a Divertimento (or Cassation) for four wind instruments. With this work, based on Classical forms, he became known as a Czech representative of neoclassicism . He wrote the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s ''Antigone'' ("Antigona", after

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

, 1934) and ''An Uproar in Efes'' ("Pozdvižení v Efesu", after

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, 1943) as well as four

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

. He died in Prague.

Selected works

Stage works

* Small Ballet, to the theme of ''Pantomime'' by

Vítězslav Nezval Vítězslav Nezval (; 26 May 1900 – 6 April 1958) was a Czechs, Czech poet, writer and translator. He was one of the most prolific avant-garde Czech writers in the first half of the 20th century and a co-founder of the Surrealism, Surrealist ...

, also as a composition for chamber orchestra (1926) * ''

Pozdvižení v Efesu ''Pozdvižení v Efesu'' (Turmoil in Ephesus) is a Czech-language opéra bouffe by Iša Krejčí to a libretto by Josef Bachtík based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's ''The Comedy of Errors''. It was written from 1939 until 1943.Michael Neill ...

'' (An Uproar in Ephesus)

Opera bouffe Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

to the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by Josef Bachtík based on

Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farce, farcical Shakespearean comedy, comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addit ...

(1939–43) * ''Antigone'' (Antigona). A cantata for the stage after the tragedy by Sophocles (1933, rewritten 1959–62) * ''Darkness'' (Temno). Scenes based on

Alois Jirásek Alois Jirásek () (23 August 1851 – 12 March 1930) was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a high school history teacher in Litomyšl and later in Prague until his retirement in 1909. He wrote a series of histor ...

's novel of the same title (1944, instrumentation 1951–52)

Orchestral music

* Symphonietta – divertimento (1929) * Suite from a comic opera (1933) * Suite for Orchestra (1939–40) * 20 Variations on the Composer s Own Theme in the Style of a Folk Song (1946–47) * 14 Variations on the Song (Good – Night Called) * There Is None Other Like My Deceased Spouse (1951–52) * Serenade for Orchestra (1948–50) * Symphony No 1 in D (1954–55) * Symphony No 2 in C sharp (1956–57) * Symphony No 3 in D (1961–63) * Symphony No 4 (1966) * Minor Suite for Strings * Vivat

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

. A concertante overture

Concertante music

* Concertino for Piano with an Accompamment of Wind Instruments (1935) * Concertino for Violin with an Accompaniment of Wind Instruments (1936) * Cocencertino for Violoncello and Orchestra (1939–40)

Chamber music

* Divertimento (Cassation) for Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet and Bassoon (1925) * Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano (1929–30) * Trio – Divertimento for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon (1935) * Trio for Clarinet, Double Bass and Piano (1936) * Little Funeral Music for Alto, Viola, Violoncello, Double Bass and Piano to Texts of the Psalms and František Halas' Poem "Old Women" (1933, rewritten 1936) * Divertimento for Nonet (1937) * Tre scherzini for pianoforte (1953), according to the original arrangement of the composition for flute and piano from the year 1945 * String Quartet No 2 in D-minor (1953) * String Quartet No 3 "In My Father's Memory" (1960) * Sonatina concertante for violoncello and pianoforte (1961) * Wind Quintet (1964) * Trio for Violin, Violoncello and Piano with a song for a female voice to the text of a Psalm * Four Encore Pieces for Violin and Piano (1966) * String Quartet No 4 (1966) * String Quartet No 5 (1967)

Songs

* Five Songs to Texts by

(1926–27) * Six Songs to Texts by

Jan Neruda Jan Nepomuk Neruda (Czech: �jan ˈnɛpomuk ˈnɛruda 10 July 1834 – 22 August 1891) was a Czech journalist, writer, poet and art critic; one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Realism and a member of the " May School". Early li ...

for Baritone and Piano or Orchestra (1931) * Imitations of Czech Songs for Tenor and Wind Quintet to Words by František Ladislav Čelakovský (1936) * Motives from Antiquity, for a lower male voice and orchestra or piano (1936, arrangement and instrumentation, 1947) * Five Songs to Texts by

Jan Amos Komenský John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last bishop of the Unit ...

for Singing and Piano (1938) * Four Songs to Texts by Jan Neruda for a middle male voice (1939–40)

Choral compositions

* ''The Song of the Multitudes''. A fugue for a mixed choir and large orchestra to a text by Josef Hora (1925, instrumentation 1948) * Four Madrigals to Words by

Karel Hynek Mácha Karel Hynek Mácha () (16 November 1810 – 5 November 1836) was a Czechs, Czech Romanticism, romantic poet. His poem ''Máj'' is among the most important poems in the history of Czech literature. Biography Mácha was born on 16 November 1810 ...

for a smaller mixed choir, tenor solo and piano (1936) * ''From the Region of Bagpipers'' (Z dudáckého kraje). A bouquet of songs after melodies of songs for soprano, tenor, baritone and large orchestra, collected by Karel Weis (1939) * ''Sacred Carols Sung During Christmas-time'' (Koledy posvátné v čas vánoční), for a children's or mixed choir with orchestra and organ (1939) * ''Military Songs from the Záhorácko Region'' (Vojenské písničky ze Záhorácka), for a male choir unisono, tenor and soprano solo with orchestra (1950) * ''Four Male Choirs in the Traditional Style'' to Words by Czech Poets (1966–67)

References

Czech Music Information Centre
*

External links

National Library CZ – List of work by Iša Krejčí
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krejci, Isa 1904 births 1968 deaths Czechoslovak classical composers 20th-century Czech conductors (music) 20th-century Czech male musicians Czech classical composers Czech male classical composers Czech male conductors (music) Charles University alumni Prague Conservatory alumni